‘Allah Lok’ the child who built the kingdom of Qawwali and became an emperor

Well-known journalist Hasan Nisar spent his childhood in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad). He Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan He was a neighbor and classmate. The Jalandhar connection kept the two families close.

Hassan Nisar has told in several interviews that Nusrat’s father wanted him to be a doctor or an engineer, but he was the ‘most unworthy child in the class’.

Fateh Ali Khan, the famous Qawwal of his time, was deeply in love with Parvez (Nusrat’s real name). They were often worried about what this chubby innocent child would do in life.

Hasan Nisar says that once we were all sitting and my father said to Pervez’s father: ‘Yar Fateh, why is he so worried, you have your own family, so much name, give him your knowledge.’

Fateh Ali Khan said in a desperate tone: ‘Mian Saab! What will I do by giving him my knowledge, Allah has not given him a voice.’

This was being said about the voice of the child who became the Emperor Qawwali and ruled in the East and the West and this series continues. Nusrat’s newly discovered four Qawwali His worldwide acclaim confirms the claim that this ‘unworthy child’ of Lasori Shah is still one of the most popular artists in the world even 27 years after his death.

Fateh Ali Khan was one of the best Qawwals of his time. As a father, he was rightly worried about Nusrat’s future. Nusrat, who had a very fine voice, did not have the characteristics in her throat, which is the basic requirement to become a singer.

Trying to recruit clerks on radio

Journalist Akmal Shahzad Ghamman, known for ‘Media Mundi’, has a special skill in discovering unseen worlds through interviews. Talking to them, Mokhi Mufti reveals that once Nusrat’s father and mother took her to Radio Pakistan Lahore.

He made Nusrat sit outside and himself entered director Masood Qureshi’s room. Akhi Mufti was there. According to him, he said: ‘We have a child, Sir, he was born wrongly in the house of Qawwals. He has no voice. Where is the sound of screaming in the head? It is such a big mouth. We do not understand what he will do in life. Keep him here as a clerk. Eighth grade has passed.

Moqhi Mufti says that Allah was kind to him, Masood Qureshi tried hard, even to be recruited on contract, but could not be the cause.

Mufti further reveals that ‘Mubarak Fateh Ali Khan (Parvez’s uncle) did not teach him Qawwali, did not teach him music. He learned by himself just sitting back and clapping his hands.’

The child who sits back and claps moves forward!

Akmal Shahzad Ghaman has one more interesting revelation. He says that Abdul Shakur Baidal, brother of famous Bollywood musician Khayyam, was the first jeweler, who discovered the extraordinary artist in Nusrat.

Ghaman Sahib says: ‘Fath Ali and Mubarak Ali had passed away. His family used to come to do radio programs.

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Once the producer Abdul Shakoor Baidal Sahib had to record a Qawwali. He said, “This child sings very well, take him up with a clap and make him sit forward.” The family members said that it is our internal problem as to who should sit in which position. Mr. Baidel flew away. He said then I will not record Qawwali.

All of them went to Station Director Shamsuddin Butt, who supported Baidal Sahib.

‘The result was that the Qawal party strolled on the lawn for a long time and left without recording.

‘When he came next time, Mr. Baidel made the same condition. They said ok, but then our boy will also sit along. Mr. Bidel agreed.

This was Nusrat’s first break, after which no one could lift him from the first row. He remains in his place even after death, as evidenced by the reception of his recently released Qawwals.

‘Allah people’ child

We mentioned Nusrat’s childhood conditions above. Add to this Hassan Nisar’s statement that when Pervez sat down to eat, he did not know where to stop. He would eat. My mother used to say: ‘Parvez hun buskar.’ He would say: ‘Good’ and stop his hand. What could be more innocent than that?

Abnormally overweight, a child on hunger strike who refused to eat mangoes in winter, not knowing where to sit while eating, a very thin voice and a class child you can’t understand, this was Parvez. We have seen such children around us, people call them ‘Allah Lok’ meaning semi-crazy but harmless type of people.

If there was no Qawwali in Nusrat’s family, imagine how his life would have passed. His father wanted Parvez to become a doctor or an engineer, but he was forced to work as a petty clerk on the radio.

Similarly, in the Qawal party, he was made to clap for what else he could do.

What is unusual, there was nothing unusual about Parvez, but you took the best minds in the world and gave them good training, and then made them perform Qawwali. He will not be able to become the dust of Nusrat’s feet. This is creativity. This is the highest level of artistry. It is an extraordinary height of human capacity that always borders on insanity. When all molds fail, extraordinary art is born.

Thankfully, Nusrat does not fit into any mold. Otherwise, they would have left Lasuri Shah and come as far as Lahore. He would have made two or four visits to India and died as a minor Qawwal while singing at the courts.

Before Nusrat, Qawwali was considered a third class art. Even the artists associated with the field of film music, which is considered as a second-class art, used to address a singer as ‘Bhandi Bazar Ka Qawal’ if they wanted to insult a singer.

Nusrat was associated with the ‘Qawwal Bacha’ of Delhi but was always disliked by traditional Qawwali families. According to him, Nusrat’s innovation led to the transformation of Qawwali into magic, but a fly-on-the-fly artist, no matter how extraordinary his talent, cannot populate a new world.

Nusrat built an entire kingdom of Qawwali and ruled as an emperor. Hardly any other singer got as much recognition as Nusrat in the fusion music of East and West.

After his recently released Qawwals, people created a channel on YouTube called ‘Chain of Light’, uploaded four Qawwals there and managed to get millions of views and thousands of subscriptions in just a few days. Much has been written about finding lost albums, we try to find out what they contain.

Four Qawwali, Blessing of Nusrat

The album, released under the name ‘Chain of Light’ (Ek Silla Noor Hai Har Sans Ka Rishta, derived from this verse in a Qawwali), was recorded in April 1990 at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. Which has four Qawwals and the duration is 41 minutes.

‘Ya Ghos Ya Meeran’ is a tribute to Abdul Qadir Shah Jilani written by Pir Naseeruddin Shah. This Qawwali was brand new and no recording of it had ever been released by any company.

‘Aj Sak Mitran Di Wadheeri Ae’ is a famous Punjabi naat written by Pir Mehr Ali Shah. This Naat is a beautiful example of Hassan Bian, whose every word is filled with devotion. Even if you don’t know Punjabi, you must have heard the famous verse of this Naat, ‘Where is Mehr Ali, where is your praise, where are the blasphemous eyes?’

‘Ya Allah Ya Rahman’ is a hymn while ‘Khabram Risit Mansaf’ is a famous Persian ghazal by Amir Khusrau. Thus there are four compositions in Urdu, Punjabi and Persian languages ​​sung by the teacher in the style of Qawwali.

If we compare these albums with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s already existing treasure, it is not unusual at all. Twenty such albums are already available on YouTube in Ustad Ki Vaaz. Listening to them gives an idea of ​​the color of Nusrat’s Qawwali before fusion in the nineties.

These Qawwalis are just blessings of Nusrat. But listening to them, Nusrat’s exuberance of greatness and the devotion of her fans transforms it into a Dev Malay experience.

Lasori Shah’s Pervez is today a giant Malay character in the East and the West. Everything associated with it is dev mala, even these four traditional types of Qawwals.